Don’t pretend that a fee is not a tax when it is

October 16, 2013

It was fun reading the column from the Jefferson County Fire & Rescue Association opposing the new mandated fire fee set by the Jefferson commissioners and then in the next section, the article on the Berkeley Solid Waste Authority's objection to its county's fire fee, but for entirely different reasons. The Jefferson County Fire & Rescue is opposed because it doesn't believe it will raise enough money.

The Solid Waste Authority is claiming tax exemption (which is supported by a ruling from the attorney general's office) and I'm opposed because it's being called a fee and not a tax. It is a tax no matter how hard the county commissioners try to pretend otherwise. A fee is associated with a service rendered, which is due when that service is received. A tax is what a person pays as an obligation to society. I will pay my share of taxes but not a tax pretending to be a fee.

I suspect the reason the Jefferson commissioners don't want to impose this as a tax is so that when they run for re-election they can claim that they did not raise taxes. What fun. This commission has done nothing but add to the personnel and offices of the county and remodel its meeting place. It's amazing how they can find a surplus in the budget when they chose to give raises or create new programs and departments, but can't fund a necessary service which provides emergency contact personnel. This is part of what we pay taxes for. The fire departments are all volunteer (God bless them all), and my opposition is to not including it in the tax structure. I find this to be not only dishonest, but immature as well. Grow up, commissioners. If this is a service that is required for us, then tax us for it and be done with it. Stop trying to hide behind the notion that a fee for a service that someone may or may not need is not a tax. It is.